


said from the start (that you could take it or leave it)

by DragonNinjaAri



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pining, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash, Snowball Fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-22 07:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6070861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonNinjaAri/pseuds/DragonNinjaAri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Chris' first time at Blackwood Mountain. He's just a little unsure of what he's doing here.</p><p>Secret Valetine's Exchange Gift for Sentaidash.</p>
            </blockquote>





	said from the start (that you could take it or leave it)

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into Until Dawn fic proper, and it's for a gift exchange.
> 
> Happy belated Valentine's Day to [Sentaidash](https://sentaidash.tumblr.com/)! Sorry for getting this to you so late. I'll just let the fic do the talking for me. :)

It must be on record that Chris _has_ played in the snow before now. A family reunion in the Rockies, a trip to his aunt in Maine-- Chris definitely has had his fair share of experience with cold weather and he won’t stand for any of this stupid mockery.

So what if he’s not as used to it as the Washingtons, with their Fancy Vacation Mountain, which is dumb because it has NO WI-FI at all and he’s slowing dying a painful, young death.

Laying on his back in the freezing cold, Chris reflects on how he came to this point in his life. It’s all because of Jeanie Simmons, naturally, because ever since that fateful day he ties everything back to her, good or bad - shout-out to Jeanie, who subsequently moved up about three ranks in popularity in the last year, you’re the reason why he’s got snow down his jeans.

Anyway, it’s because of her that one Josh Washington ended up sitting next to him, and they started talking during class and trading dessert at lunch, and one thing lead to another and now they’re best friends? That’s what Chris thinks, at least, even if the words haven’t been specifically said. He’s spent more time hanging out with Josh than _any_ other friend he’s ever had, and he’s only known him for two years! Mrs. Washington knows his preferred sandwich style (peanut butter and strawberry jelly, light on jelly, crust on, diagonal cuts) and Josh’s sisters, Beth and Hannah, wave to him between classes (usually Beth first, because Hannah’s shy).

The point is here, he shouldn’t have been super surprised when the invitation to the family Blackwood Mountain Getaway fell in his lap, but he still was, because it was all Josh would talk about last year. When his super-busy dad puts aside work and his stressed-out mom relaxes, and he and his sisters have the biggest, most fantastic snowball fight in the entire world. Chris wouldn’t say he was _envious_ of it, really, but he was amazed; his own sisters aren’t nearly as close to him as Josh’s, and his vacations are good, but anything seems lackluster compared to the Winter Wonderland Adventure.

So when something’s already that perfect, why invite a wild variable like him to maybe screw it all up? 

He keeps thinking that a lot lately, because, well - Josh isn’t _perfect_ , Chris knows that. There’s moments where he’s filled with so much energy Chris worries he’s going to burst, and others where he’s tired and apathetic and cranky - but Josh Washington is, in many ways, _cool_ , and he’s a _personality_. In a school where one kid’s got a model for a mom or another kid’s in talks for a commercial deal, that’s sort of important, or at least that’s what he’s overheard when his mother’s chatting idly with the neighbors. He has presence and seems like the kind of guy no one would make fun of. Chris can barely make it up the rope in gym and gets laughed at by the other boys.

There’s no real comparison.

At least, with all of that, he has proved that he isn’t a newbie in the Great Snowball Wars, because he so totally _destroyed_ Beth, who talks a big talk and… well, walks the walk too, that’s why he’s pretty positive there’s a lot of melting snow in very uncomfortable places right now - but _she’s_ half-buried while he’s just winded, so the joke’s on her.

It’s right when he’s wondering where Josh and Hannah got to that a flushed, grinning face pops into his field of vision...upside-down, so if his eyes weren’t positively beaming Chris would think that he was angry instead.

“Cochise! You _ruled_ out there, bro!” Is… Is Josh addressing _him_ ? Apparently so, because after a moment the other boy rights himself and holds out a hand to help Chris up. “No one’s ever buried Beth like that, not even _me_! ...Hey, your glasses are kinda-”

Covered in flakes, making the world look like a blurred kaleidoscope? Yeah, _that’s_ what’s making this conversation so weird. After getting to his feet, Chris gets to work on fixing that. “Yeah, it happens. So-”

But it seems Josh is in Party Hurricane mode now, because he just throws an arm around Chris’ shoulder and starts pulling him back to the Lodge. “C’mon, Mom’s been calling us for like, five minutes. She makes the best hot chocolate, and since _we_ won, we get first marshmallow pick.”

And he starts regaling him with his own snowball tales, how Hannah had him pinned down and he saw Chris wail on Beth and it gave him the inspiration to go on, and how it was so absolutely the best fight yet, and that they have to make Team Sisters vs. Team Bros a regular thing.

Chris can’t really get a word in edgewise, but he doesn’t really mind. He likes seeing Josh this animated, and if he _really_ did something that great, he’ll roll with it.

He can ask what that thing Josh called him means later.

 

~ ~ ~ 

 

There’s really no difference between the marshmallows in Chris’ hot chocolate and the ones in Beth or Hannah’s (besides color, since _of course_ the Washingtons have multicolored marshmallows), but to the siblings, first pick really is a _big deal_ , as Josh makes a big show of scooping his in one after the other while the twins look on pouting and Mrs. Washington shakes her head trying not to laugh.

Maybe it’s the whole ceremony of it that makes Chris feel like he’s super special too.

After they’re all sufficiently warm and wrapped in blankets and changed into pajamas, Chris joins the family for a movie screening - in an actual screening room! The more he sees of Blackwood Lodge, the more he cannot believe such a place exists. It’s one he’s never seen, one of the ones hanging on the wall that Mr. Washington directed himself, a horror flick about ghosts and a bunch of teenagers making stupid decisions. It _would_ be scary, but apparently everyone here’s seen it so many times that it’s more like a practiced RiffTrax show that he has a special ticket to, a little peek into this private ceremony.

Not once do they make him feel like an outsider, though. Josh yammers on to him about what each of the jokes his mom or dad make means, and Mr. Washington informs him of what it’s like directing a movie with limited funding, and Mrs. Washington shares stories of being on set. The best, however, is probably when familiar creepy-twin ghosts emerge from the shadows and Hannah brightens up and cries _“that’s us, that’s us!”_ and starts talking a mile a minute while Josh and Beth exchange little grins; it’s the first time Chris has ever heard her talk this much around him, and it’s charming.

“We’re kind of a special commodity,” Beth brags after the film’s done and the kids have moved rooms, into the big one with the fireplace and the squishy couches. It’s just the two of them right now, because Hannah ran off to get a photo album and Josh chased after her to prevent her from finding it. “Everyone wants dead twins in their scary movie, and Dad’s got his own who are _very_ good at giving the evil eye, soooo.”

She demonstrates, as if Chris hadn’t just watched her (or was it Hannah?) try to drown a boy twice their age. It’s still very scary.

“And does he pay you? Like, a special allowance?” Chris asks.

“Yep! Josh is sooo jealous.”

Chris frowns. “Oh. He hasn’t been in any?”

Beth hesitates and then shrugs. “I mean, Dad says he’s looking for the right one to have him scare the pants off everyone. _I_ think he just likes having him help behind the camera. He’s got an eye for things, apparently. Josh likes it too, but he doesn’t get money or his name in the credits.”

The guy behind the camera instead of in front of it? That’s not at all what Chris would’ve thought for his (maybe) best friend. At least he likes it, but it strikes him as unfair that Josh doesn’t get credit for any of the things he contributes.

It seems Beth picks up his thoughts, because she quickly adds, “Don’t worry, it’s just _union stuff_ .” She sticks out her tongue. Sounds like it’s something she’s heard them discussing a lot. “Dad says when Josh gets older and can help out _officially_ , he’ll be right up there with us.”

That does put his mind at ease a little. “Well, good. If he’s good at it, then everyone should know.” It’s then that Beth gets a sort of strange look in her eyes and smiles at him. “...What?”

“Ohhh, nothing. Just... I’m really glad. You really like Josh.”

The frown returns, skeptical. “ _Yeah_. He’s my b- he’s my friend, ‘course I like him.”

Beth clarifies, “I mean like, you _like_ him. You’re not just friends ‘cause Dad’s important, or we have money, or for other stupid reasons.” She lowers her voice like she’s telling him a secret, and for all he knows, she really is. “He’s popular, but either people are really jerks or they don’t really _get_ Josh, you know? They don’t like hanging out with him a lot, or they get tired of him. Josh can take care of himself, but sometimes he’s all weird about if people really _like_ him or if they just… kinda like him. Hannah too. So I have to beat up the ones that’re jerks.”

“Oh.” Chris can’t find much more to say. Josh has never seemed insecure to him. “Why’re you telling me…?”

Beth flashes him a grin. “‘Cause you’re not a jerk! Duh. If you were, I’d’ve pushed you off the mountain myself. My siblings are _really_ dumb, so I look out for them… but you look like you wanna look out for Josh too.”

“I’ve never looked at it like that,” Chris says, kicking his blue-slippered feet idly. “I just want him to be happy. Besides, I think _he_ looks out for _me_ even more.”

“Whatever you think, he really needed this.” Beth is several months younger than Chris and, on the mountain, the youngest of them here, but right now she seems so much wiser than him, sitting with her chin up in her yellow onesie. “I don’t think he’s ever had a friend this long, ‘specially not one he wanted to invite up _here_. I betcha this is gonna be his favorite vacation.”

Before Chris can ask for any further clarification, a stampede of footsteps and Josh’s distinct whine signal the other two Washington siblings’ return, with photo album in hand, and the question’s lost to a night of reminiscing, sharing, and teasing.

 

~ ~ ~

 

When sleeping arrangements were conceived for the trip, the kids were supposed to sleep in two rooms upstairs, boys in one and girls in the other. Somehow, those went out the window when Hannah started to drift and she looked “positively too adorable” to move, in Mrs. Washington’s words.

So the group of them instead are snuggled on two separate couches, still boys on one and girls on another, with blankets and pillows and the low-crackling fire. Beth didn’t last much longer than Hannah, but she did assure him she’d have her revenge in Snowball War Round 2 tomorrow. Chris is actually looking forward to it.

Now, it’s just like any other sleepover the boys have had, except for the slumbering twins and the scenery and how close they are to one another. It’s still really cold, though, so that last one’s fine.

While he’s starting to wind down, Josh is still powered on, 110% energy. He’s going on and on about what they’ll do tomorrow, both before and after whupping his sisters in glacial combat for a second time. The question Chris couldn’t ask Beth keeps sneaking into his head, though, and he’s tired enough that he doesn’t have much of a filter.

“Josh?”

“And I’ve got these little army men and- uh, yeah?” Typical Josh, can’t just stop on a dime and instead skids through one of his ideas for continued fun. “What’s up?”

“Um… Why’d you invite me up here?” Chris doesn’t think he sounds sad or insecure or anything like that. Just curious. “I mean, like - it’s the first time you’ve ever had anyone besides your family here. Why me?”

The question’s clearly caught Josh off-guard, his eyes (just a little too big for his head) wide and his mouth hanging open slightly; the firelight’s low, but still Chris can see the confusion on his face.

“What kinda question’s that?” At first he thinks he’s said something wrong, because Josh’s voice has taken on that light grumbling tone he gets when he’s upset sometimes. But - “‘Cause you’re my best friend, dummy.”

Oh.

Is that it?

It’s the fire and the blankets and the slippers still on his feet that’s heating him up so much. And he just yawned like, a minute ago, and that’s why his eyes are watering. He sniffles, because his nose is still just a little _cold_ , and he pulls off his glasses and runs an arm over his eyes. He has to take them off to sleep anyway, it’s just convenient.

Even though it’s all unrelated stimuli causing this and the almost painful grin rising on his face, he still worries that Josh will think it’s stupid or that he’s a baby, just because that’s kind of how it looks to the uninformed. But to his surprise, his best friend (his _best friend_ ) doesn’t say a single word. Through his blurred vision, he thinks he can see Josh roll his eyes? But there’s a smile there, not as big as Chris’ but still somehow… bright. It’s a smile Chris has never seen on him before.

It’s not just the smile that’s new; when he speaks next, there’s this _tone_ , one that’s almost soft, and so little about Josh is soft. “Any other stupid questions, Cochise?”

Despite this new Soft Mode Josh that he’s never seen before, that brings Chris back down to normal. “ _Yeah_ !” Oops. He lowers his voice when Hannah mumbles in her sleep and Beth turns over. “Uh, yeah, what’s that _mean_?”

“What? Cochise?”

“Yes, that!”

Josh grins. “He was this really cool Apache chief from like, a hundred years ago. Mom told us about him when Hannah and Beth had to do this family tree project. Apparently if you go back far enough, I’m related to him. ...Or someone close to him. I forget. Anyway, he was a total badass and there’s a bunch of stuff named after him. I… don’t think I make it sound as cool when I talk about him, though.”

“Then why’re you calling _me_ that?” Chris asks, bemused and interested.

“‘Cause you thrashed my unbeatable sister!” Josh lightly punches his arm, which is a bit difficult in their current position, lying on their stomachs head-to-head. “That’s it, you’re a badass, like my cool ancient chief ancestor, I insist.”

And Josh sounds so sure and that _look_ hasn’t left his face, so maybe there is something special about him.

Chris can’t find anything to say but, “Okay.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

He’s always had trouble sleeping. Trouble quieting his brain, quieting all the little things in it, good or bad. So it’s so much later now, when the fire’s turned to embers and a three-part harmony of snores and heavy breathing surrounds him.

To his credit, Chris tried to stay up so much later than usual, but in the end he drifted off as Josh poked his cheek trying to keep him awake.

Oh well. His best friend tried.

A tickle fills Josh’s stomach. _His best friend_. He’d really said it, and Chris didn’t look at him funny. Not that he thought Chris would do that, because Chris really is better than any of the other people who he’s tried to be real-actual friends with, but there was still that little doubt. He’s using you. He hates you. What are you doing? Why are you trying this again?

Screw you, brain voice. Serves you right, because Josh Washington was _right_ this time. Obviously.

Now if only he could just get to sleep. There were so many things they’d planned out for tomorrow, and he can’t just sleep through all of them. Josh sighs, prompting Chris to mumble across from him. Oops. Their faces are so close that of course he’d feel that.

He studies him. No glasses. No matter how many sleepovers they have, Chris always looks weird without his glasses, Josh thinks. Hair a bit of a mess, from sleeping. Nose a little too big. Mouth...open. Good old Chris, sleeping with his mouth open. That’ll come back to bite him one day, when Josh finds the perfect prank for it.

It’s different from an hour or so ago, when Chris’ face just lit up and he totally absolutely did not almost cry. At first, Josh had wanted to say some little quip or joke, to ease the tension, but that _smile_...it’s not gay to say it looked like Chris was shining, right? All bright, and…

...okay, maybe it’s a _little_ gay. Which wouldn’t be bad, except this is his best friend.

That’s probably all he’s feeling. Silly Chris, his first real best friend, making his skin prickle and his mouth flip-flop in new ways.

Silly Chris, who always falls asleep first at sleepovers, without fail. Maybe if Josh just keeps watching him, he’ll figure out how he does it and drift off too.

It takes some time.

But Josh does fall asleep eventually, eyes still locked on his best friend’s face.

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

 

Light.

It’s so. So. _Light_.

Unsafe. It’s not fire, but it just feels… unsafe? Bad.

Not ideal for hunting. The others stay in the tunnels. Until night. Nothing suspects it then. That’s what it says.

It? The voice. The hungry voice. Hissing, howling, positively perfectly simply starving, food food food, why are we here, go back to the mines, _I am not strong enough yet_.

But even in light. Even with new hissing voice. Old whispers of why. Those feel weird, there, in that place.

Claws bleeding, broken, ripped from climbing up, up, up, until the light.

So tired.

Tired, instead of hungry.

Though the hungry voice says back down, there he can sleep, he doesn’t agree. Instead he walks, walks, because there’s something else he knows of. Something else other than the weird tunnels that will make him safe.

It’s black and broken and barely there. Charred ruins but _his_.

Closes his eyes. Lays down in a soft pile of something. Long gangly skeleton, somewhere off.

Family reunion.

 

 

 

Jumble of voices.

“No way.”

“Is that…?”

“Oh my - you don’t think-”

“Ash, it’s _him-_ ”

He twitches.

“But what the hell’s he doing up here? I saw him in - the reports _said_ he was - fuck.”

“He came up here on his own. He had to. He-”

“ _Chris_ , be careful!”

Blinks his eyes open. So many voices. That name?

“It’s okay.” Close. Getting closer. “He- he’s not gonna hurt me. Right, man?”

One sleepy eye, then the other. Barely processing. The hungry voice says rip him open. Rip them all open, the girl hovering behind him he never could hate right, the one who left him, the one who his sister loved, the girl with the sharp tongue, the strong but gentle one-

But he’s tired. Not hungry. He’s been tired for so long.

One side of his mouth cracks open and he lets out this...noise. They freeze up, but they don’t move away.

“We’re right here, bro. Not going anywhere.”

Huh.

Is that it?

Well, alright. If that’s how it’s going to be.

Closes his eyes again. One last thought funny thought, that he’ll have to laugh about later:

It’s the first time Josh has ever fallen asleep before Chris.

**Author's Note:**

> What, I couldn't end it pre-canon where everything would eventually get horrible without doing ANYTHING now, could I?
> 
> For the record Jess would've been there too, but this isn't THAT long after, and she was far too injured, poor girl. She's there in spirit.
> 
> I had a lot more fun writing this than I expected to, in the best way possible. Though Climbing Class isn't my absolutely fave Until Dawn ship (though they are part of it), I was taken by writing these two as small children. Maybe I'll write some more pre-canon Until Dawn kids sometime. ;)


End file.
